The Dispute in Mapai over "Self-Restraint" and "Purity of Arms" During the Arab Revolt

Two of the basic terms used in defining the principles, thought, and action of the Jewish side in the Jewish-Arab conflict are havlagah (self-restraint) and tohar ha-neshek (purity of arms). They became catchwords replete with ideological and political meaning in the Zionist movement in general and especially in the Labor movement during the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine. This article intends to locate the precise historical context within which these terms emerged and to outline the political and ideological dispute associated with them.